The very good reason why athletes are drawing red Xs on their hands

You may have noticed while flipping through social media Thursday that a bunch of athletes and celebrities are promoting the red X’s on their hands.

The reason is the “End It Movement,” a campaign hoping to bring awareness the ongoing existence of slavery. The movement’s mission statement reads as follows:

“Let’s be the generation to stand up for the 27 million men, women and children trapped in slavery around the world today. In brothels. In factories. In mines. On street corners. In homes. In the shadows, hidden. Yet out in broad daylight, in plain sight here in America. Stand with us. Raise your voice. Use your influence. Join the Fight for FREEDOM.”

Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver, who wore red X’s on his hands in his game Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, explains his involvement.

“I think people assume that slavery is all in Asia somewhere, but it happens here in America all over the place,” he said. “It still exists. Real slavery happens here. It happens in factories, it happens with sex trafficking, in all different forms. I think most people, we think it’s a thing of the past. But 27 million people. That’s New York City times three. That’s a huge number.”

(USA TODAY Sports Images)

Through his visibility on the court and his popularity on social media, Korver feels strongly about getting the message out. He’s worn red X’s in two games this week.

“When enough people hear about it and get upset about it, that’s when change starts to happen,” he said.

“Here in America, we enjoy lots of freedoms a lot of people don’t have in this world,” Korver said. “And I think (participating in the movement) is an easy thing to do. It’s such an important thing and I just wanted to be a part of it.”

You may have noticed while flipping through social media Thursday that a bunch of athletes and celebrities are promoting the red X’s on (…)

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